DJs Shamed in Royal Hospital Hoax See Show Cancelled

The two Australian DJs involved in the viral prank call that exposed personal health information about Britain’s pregnant Duchess Catherine to the free world have seen their radio show pulled from the airwaves. The cancellation comes just days after the nurse who put the call through to a hospital administrator took her own life.

Last week, Mel Greig and Michael Christian prank called London’s King Edward VII Hospital in London, where Kate Middleton was being treated for acute morning sickness. Pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles inquiring on the health of the Duchess of Cambridge, the two say they never expected to get anywhere with the call, let alone inspire a suicide.

Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old married mother, was found dead in her London home early Friday.

Southern Croos Austereo (SCA) is the company that owns the station, 2Day FM, involved in the prank call. On Monday, they issued a statement expressing its “deep regret” over Saldanha’s death following the prank and assured that it’s “taking the events of the last few days very seriously.”

So seriously, in fact, that it’s cancelled 2Day FM until further notice, terminated the 2Day FM Hot 30 show, issued a companywide suspension of “prank” calls and is undergoing a comprehensive review of relevant company policies and processes. The Saldanha family is blaming the DJs along with the radio station, which could lead to further legal action being taken.

Greig and Christian, who have stayed relatively quiet throughout most of the scandal, are finally speaking out. The Australian shock-jocks gave teary-eyed appeals that they never meant to cause harm in a traumatic trick that we merely designed to “be stupid.” And while sounding upset about the tragedy, the pair stopped short of a full apology, instead saying:

“If we played any involvement in her death, then we’re very sorry for that and only time will tell.”